New Jersey and Military Munitions

During the summer of 1916, as “The Great War” — later known as World War I — raged across Europe, the United States maintained a policy of neutrality. Nonetheless, American manufacturers supplied military goods to any nation able to pay for them. Due to the effective British naval blockade of German ports, however, it was largely Germany’s opponents who received these American products.

One major shipping point for munitions was Black Tom Island, a small, man-made island off the coast of Jersey City, New Jersey. Originally constructed by the Lehigh Valley Railroad, Black Tom served as a depot for artillery shells and other explosives destined for shipment to Czarist Russia and other Allied powers. The island was linked to the mainland by a mile-long causeway, making it a key logistics hub.

On the night of July 30, 1916, German saboteurs infiltrated Black Tom Island and set off a catastrophic explosion. The blast, one of the largest non-nuclear detonations in history, virtually leveled the island, killed four people, and caused widespread damage throughout New York Harbor. Shockwaves from the explosion cracked the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal and shattered windows across Manhattan and beyond.

The Black Tom explosion was part of a broader German sabotage campaign targeting American industry and shipping. While the United States remained officially neutral at the time, such attacks began to shift public sentiment against Germany — a contributing factor to America’s eventual entry into World War I.

Today, Black Tom Island no longer exists as it once did. Landfill projects over the decades connected it to the mainland, and it is now part of Liberty State Park. Visitors can enjoy a beautiful waterfront park offering stunning views of the harbor and New York City skyline. The park also serves as a departure point for ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, landmarks that themselves bear scars from the Black Tom attack.

 

A Legacy of Munitions Shipping

New Jersey’s strategic role in military logistics continues today. The U.S. Navy operates Naval Weapons Station Earle, located inland in Colts Neck and connected by a road-rail causeway to a mile-long pier at Leonardo, New Jersey. There, Navy ships are loaded with munitions in the relative safety of Sandy Hook Bay, near the Atlantic Highlands.

Naval Weapons Station Earle remains a vital hub, ensuring that America’s maritime forces are supplied and ready — just as Black Tom once served America’s allies more than a century ago.

 

**Did You Know?

The Black Tom Explosion Damaged the Statue of Liberty**

The Black Tom Island explosion on July 30, 1916, caused extensive damage to the Statue of Liberty — America’s most enduring symbol of freedom.

The blast shattered windows at Ellis Island and blew shrapnel into the Statue itself. The most significant damage occurred to Liberty’s raised right arm and the torch. The explosion was so powerful that it compromised the structural integrity of the arm’s support system.

As a result, the narrow staircase inside the torch leading to the observation platform was permanently closed to the public — a restriction that remains in place to this day. Visitors can still access the Statue’s crown, but no one has been allowed to climb up to the torch since 1916.

The damage remains a lasting reminder of the impact of sabotage on American soil and a little-known chapter in the Statue’s long history as a beacon of hope and resilience.